Music was so much a part of my family that I didn’t have to go out to learn it. I learnt Hindustani classical music from my parents and from my grandmother — who was a singer on All India Radio. I also started taking piano lessons when I was in class I.

When I was in class X, I started working as a singer and an arranger. It was then that I realised that my forte lay in creating music. I got my first break in Zaike Ka Safar on Zee TV. I went on to compose music for more than 500 serials.

My first major break — and also a major turning point — was the album Udaas Paani. I bumped into Gulzarsaab — one of my idols — at Delhi airport in 2001. Luckily I was carrying some of my compositions, which I gave him. I never even thought he would listen to them. It was an impulsive decision.

I got a call from his office in two days saying that he would like to work with me. That was how Udaas Paani happened. The album gave me success which helped me to do something original. My first Bollywood break came when I scored the music for Haasil (2003). After that I did Ahista Ahista.

Another significant moment was scoring the music for the Tamil film Thoondil. Though I had always wanted to work in the south, I was initially very sceptical. But it gave me a chance to transcend the language barrier.

I’ve just finished working on Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Shagird. It is a very ‘Hollywood-ish’ score. I have also composed music for K. S. Adihiyaman’s Tumse Milkar where the lyrics are by Gulzarsaab and Jag Mundhra’s Shoot on Sight. I am also working on a spiritual lounge album, Moksha,to be released early next year. I am hoping that Shagird and Tumse Milkar would be the other major turning points of my life.

(As told to Promita Mukherjee)